Congress Steps up Interest In Protecting Our Nation's Rail System In The Wake of Spain Terrorist Bombings - Senate Reviewing California's report and the Nation's Only Rail Homeland Security Study
Senate Commerce Committee and House Select Committee Tackle Potential Threats To U.S. Rail System In The Aftermath of The Deadly Spain Bombings.
Los Angeles, CA — The Senate Commerce Committee
holds a hearing today (Tuesday, March 23, 2004) on rail security in the wake of
the terrorist bombings of commuter rail lines in Madrid, Spain, earlier this
month that injured 1,500 and left more than 200 dead.
The first time study was commissioned and
published in cooperation with the Orange North-American Trade Rail Access
Corridor (OnTrac) Joint Powers Authority and the Los Angeles County Economic
Development Corporation (LAEDC). The study was completed as part of the
environmental review process for the Alameda Corridor East strategic rail system
that goes through Placentia, California. It is currently under review by the
Rand Corporation, Santa Monica.
The report
notes there are 230,000 kilometers of rail lines in the United States and it
says security needs to be improved along key transit points. The report's
authors suggest that a portion of customs revenues collected at the ports be
used to finance the improvements.
“The threat of terrorism is real on strategic
rail corridors with passenger and freight rail service and we believe that Al
Qaeda's apparent interest in rail attacks should be a call to action,” said
Counterterrorism Expert Elsa Lee, who contributed to the report released last
year (9-11-03) on the anniversary of the Twin Towers tragedy entitled: “OnTrac
Trade Impact Study: National Economic Significance of Rail Capacity and Homeland
Security on the Alameda Corridor East.” (http://www.MayoCommunications.com)
OnTrac Executive Director Chris Becker, who
testified last year at the Congressional Railroad Committee Hearings believes
Washington should provide more flexible funding for environmentally beneficial
rail projects, and significantly more funding for mega projects and grade
crossing programs like Alameda Corridor East.
“The Alameda Corridor East rail lines moved about $116 billion in goods based on
the manufacturer’s value in 2000,” said Becker. “The street value was much
higher for these products. The street values of rail cargo traveling on the
Alameda Corridor East in 2000 were $166 billion.”
The LAEDC predicts a train every eight minutes,
24 hours a day, and seven days a week will travel along the Alameda Corridor
East by 2025.
"With this much potential
economic disruption, the federal government must consider providing a specific
new funding category for strategic rail trade corridors in their next
Transportation and Homeland Security reauthorizations,” said Senior Vice
President Wally Baker, Public Policy and Consulting, LAEDC. “It is a national
economic and security issue that Congress and the White House should fix with
legislation and programs."
42nd District Congressman Gary Miller (R), Orange County, CA, who is a big
supporter of the Orange North-American Trade Rail Access Corridor (OnTrac) Joint
Powers Authority and who’s district its in said, “People throughout the United
States and the world count on shipping freight to and receiving freight from the
ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach via the transcontinental railway.” “The
economically vital artery, which runs directly through Placentia, CA, is
responsible for $250 billion in trade. More than 50 trains per day travel
through the Orangethorpe rail corridor, with rail traffic expected to increase
to 135 per day by the year 2020.”
“I have
requested federal funding in the reauthorization of TEA 21 for the construction
of this critical project,” said Miller. “This legislation is scheduled to be
considered by the U.S. House of Representatives in the coming weeks. I
appreciate your continued involvement and support in enhancing Placentia’s
transportation network,” said Congressman Miller. The House Select Committee On
Homeland Security began reviewing the OnTrac/LAEDC Rand Study last Friday.
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Orange
North-American Trade Rail Access Corridor (OnTrac) Joint Powers Authority Quick
Media Sheet On Rail Study on Homeland Security
•The OnTrac LAEDC Study
shows Terrorism is a real threat on our on nation’s Rail Corridors
•A
10-day shutdown of the Alameda Corridor East, as a result of a terrorist attack,
would be like the economic impact of the West Coast ports shutdown last October.
A 30 Day shutdown would amount to more than $4 billion.
•Disruption cost
of shutting down the Alameda Corridor East amounts to $414 million each day that
it is shut down.
•The Dept. Of Defense has designated the rail lines out
of the Southland as strategically critical national assets due to moving of
heavy military equipment. The study concludes that at least 30 percent of
Customs revenue should be dedicated each year to strategic rail corridors across
the country. Right now nothing is reinvested.
•The study suggests adding
rail capacity and addressing the security of the national rail system,
specifically the Alameda Corridor East is vital not only for Los Angeles, but
for cities like Chicago, New York, Las Vegas and Houston.
•Local efforts
to deter and respond to terrorist attacks should be a serious effort by
communities along the Alameda Corridor East. Those cities should become part of
the federal, state and local funding cycles like airlines, transit and highway
monies.
•The study suggests that California has become the nation's
primary gateway for two-way international trade. Communities along the Alameda
Corridor East need to adopt security measures and the mindset that the federal
government has had for years in protecting our national security.
•The
data from the OnTrac study should be used to evaluate the allocation of Homeland
Security funds, because funding rail projects like the Alameda Corridor East is
a vital to our nation’s interest.
•OnTrac is urging Congress to establish
a new section of the Federal-aid Highway Program to fund goods movement projects
of national economic significance.
•Southern California has become the
nation's primary gateway for two-way international trade. The Alameda Corridor
East rail lines moved about $116 billion worth of goods in 2000 alone.
OnTrac
- is Orange North-American Trade Rail Access Corridor (OnTrac) Joint Powers
Authority Southern California's gateways are the entry way for so much of what
moves the U.S. economy, and what fuels our modern way of living, but less known
are the impacts of these gateways, and the related rail corridors in sending
products overseas.
The combined impact of trade through the region's
system is impressive: four states alone - Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and
Texas - trade a total of more than $50 billion worth of international goods
through Southern California ports and rail trade corridor network.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/3/prweb113424.htm